The first photo is of the gardeners office, in itself I may not have taken this although I am glad I did. This is a photo with a story and a very strong emotional connection. Towards the end of our stay I had half a day to wander the gardens on my own, in truth I find it very difficult to take photos with Melody or Monet following, I just don’t focus, ha! ha! couldn’t resist that.

At the time of this visit they were celebrating the First World War and the staff who had gone to fight and give their lives. As I arrived at the gardener’s office I found a large photograph outside with a write up of why this was there. The photo had belonged to the elder brother and had been on his wall until his death, he had survived the whole of the war and beyond, but his younger brother had not been so fortunate.

The photo and write up described how the younger brother arrived towards the end of the war and was a picture of him dressed in uniform and ready to depart. This young man, to the best of my memory, was under 5 feet tall, he had a back pack that would have weighed over 80 pounds and a rifle with bayonet attached that was so much taller than him that it was almost comical. He didn’t survive long and was never found.

So, as I entered the gardener’s office I was quite emotional, brought up on stories of the war that my grandfather told me. Perhaps it is a good thing to connect with a subject, not that you would have guessed the story from this photo.

My other photo is close to this and I am trying to remember if it is the outside of the office, but I am not sure, I think not. We do love visiting Heligan, it is such an inspirational place and draws you in, as an engineer I love the Victorian ingenuity, no electric heaters or other modern answers, theirs were simple yet brilliant.

David Hawtin – Photographer

So here we go, Melody and David with some subjects to get started on.

• Poetry
• Art History
• Exmoor National Park
• The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Poetry

Melody has always written poems, something she inherited from her father, and something that goes hand in hand with her paintings and her whole connection with art.  One could say of Melody that she is an holistic artist, everything she does relates to her love and connection with art, so whether she is painting, taking photographs, decorating the home or even cooking a meal, all of these things and more involve her love of art and creativity.

Often, when Melody returns from her morning walk, she will have a few lines or verses of how the light, sky, sea or land has captured her imagination and it is in this that a painting may be forming within.

Melody has and underlying theme in her paintings of Hope and Restoration and this can also be seen within her poems, a heart for humanity and individuals, a message that the journey isn’t yet complete.

This is a growing selection of Melody’s poems and thoughts, just something more, another glimpse into Melody’s heart.  She hopes you enjoy the poems and her art.

Art History

Melody studied art at Winchester School of Art where she received her degree in studio and art history.  For Melody Art History is as important as painting, she has an extensive library which she reads and adds to regularly.  Art History is a major influence on Melody’s work and she will often spend weeks reading and studying before a new painting emerges.

Melody has several projects on the go and will be adding articles about various artists as the mood takes her.

Exmoor National Park

It’s where we live, the landscape and coastline are stunning, we have the second highest tide swings in the world and the sea cliffs are the tallest in England, combine that with the light and the colours of Exmoor and you have an idyllic home for any artist or photographer.

So, between us we have so much to share and enthuse about and as we embark on this we look forward to the journey.

The Lost Gardens Of Heligan

Set in Cornwall between St Austell and Mevagissey this is a lost and forgotten garden first established during the Victorian era.  We both love it, the restoration has opened a garden of interest, with walled kitchen garden and all the Victorian skill to grow fruit that just didn’t belong in this country.  Artistically there is so much to enjoy, wandering around, getting lost, finding yourself somewhere unexpected.

It is probably one of our favourite locations helped in that there is so much in the area, Charlestown that features often in the television series Poldark, The Roseland Peninsular with lovely coast also Melody has memories of places her father talked about, where he swam or visited as a boy.

We have now had three long stays at Heligan and have lots of photos and sketches to work on.